Caught in middle, Texans CB Reeves tests mettleRenewing acquaintances unlikely to be pleasant for former Cowboy

By Dale Robertson |
August 21, 2008

Cornerback Jacques Reeves (35) will face his former team on Friday night.

The third preseason game is the most important preseason game because most starters play three quarters. The Texans’ third preseason game takes on added importance because theirs is against the Dallas Cowboys.

And no matchup in Texas Stadium on Friday night figures to be more scrutinized than Tony Romo vs. Jacques Reeves, the new Texans cornerback Cowboys fans came to hate last season. Look for Romo to go at Reeves early and often, if only to prove owner Jerry Jones made the right call in letting Reeves seek employment elsewhere.

Already skeptical of the then-four-year cornerback, who had finally inherited a starting role because of injuries to Anthony Henry and Terence Newman, Cowboy Nation was quick to single out Reeves for blame after the team’s playoff demise against the New York Giants, eventual winners of a Super Bowl that Dallas people believe should have been theirs.

They remember Eli Manning picking on Reeves in a perfectly executed two-minute drill at the end of the first half, then again on the second-half drive that produced the Giants’ winning points. Never mind that Romo’s high-powered offense still had three more possessions over the final 13:30 to reverse the 21-17 deficit.

Reeves remained a goat and, as a free agent after the season, saw the Cowboys make no effort to retain him.

Which turned out to be a blessing. The Texans, whose defensive philosophy Reeves claims better exploits his physical nature than did Dallas’ zone coverages, gave him a five-year, $20 million deal. He gets to keep a $4 million signing bonus no matter how things play out in Houston.

Were the Texans crazy? No, just desperate to replace the injured Dunta Robinson, whose timetable for returning remains unknown.

The Texans will go with either four or five active corners plus Robinson. For Reeves and Faggins, one of three remaining original Texans, the Cowboys test looms huge. While Fletcher received an extended look against New Orleans on Saturday and fared decently, Faggins gets a fair chance to state his case in Dallas. There will be no shortage of motivation. It’s also a homecoming game for the onetime Irving High School star.

Faggins lost his starting spot last season to the then-rookie Bennett. He knows time isn’t on his side, certainly after he was slowed by an injury at the start of camp.

“I’ve been here for a long time, and there are a lot of new guys coming in,” Faggins said. “So I’ve got to step up. We’ll see if I’m still here when the (regular) season starts. I want to be here.”

Reeves, a seventh-round pick by the Cowboys in 2004, looked like a great addition to the Texans’ cause in the preseason opener against Denver, but he took a decisive step backward in New Orleans, where he was beaten on a long pass in the first quarter, then got called for interference on a subsequent drive that produced a Saints touchdown.

Reeves also found himself on all the TV highlight shows because Reggie Bush jumped over him for another score.

That was a special play by Bush, so nobody criticized Reeves there. But the early 39-yard completion to David Patten at his expense raised concerns.

“He was in position but just missed the tackle,” Hoke said. “You can’t miss that tackle. We’ve still got a ways to go with him.”

Explained Reeves: “It was a technique thing. I’ve got it fixed.”

Rookie Molden has a shot

Combine the best of Reeves, a studious note-taker during meetings, and Faggins, and you’d have a top-rank corner. Reeves is a superb athlete whose ballhawking instincts are a tad lacking. Faggins has survived in the NFL for six seasons — and counting? — by compensating for his physical shortcomings with a good nose for the football.

Molden, vying to be this season’s Bennett, could emerge as a superior alternative to both, once he gets his footing. Remember, Bennett was nowhere near ready to play when the 2007 season began yet found himself a starter four weeks in after Faggins melted down.

“No. 28 (Molden) is still in the picture,” said Hoke, who held him out of the Denver game because he didn’t think he was ready. “He’s got a chance. How quickly he picks up the tempo and nuances of pro football will determine what he can give us. Hopefully, we can get him up and running.

“We’ve still got some good competition going. After Fred, nothing’s settled.”